QUESTION

Hi John,

I have been a happy Honda Accord owner for many years mainly because I wanted a very reliable car that had high quality control and no body squeaks and noises. I am aware Honda suffered terribly in the market place because of the damaging tsunami in Japan and has lost a lot of ground to other major manufacturers such as Mazda and Hyundai.

My question is: Have you heard any news on the future (If any) of the Honda Accord Euro?

Kind Regards,

David

ANSWER

Hi David,

Firstly, I don't agree with you on the quality issue. Honda had a reputation for exceptional quality in the past, but both Mazda and Hyundai/Kia have overtaken Honda on the quality front, dollar-for-dollar. They are on the rise; Honda is sliding. I'm sure it's cyclical.

The Accord Euro is a good (but old) car, but the Accord (ie not the Euro) was always a big, fat, uninspiring car designed for America and somewhat hastily adapted for Australia. It was always a bit awful. (Perhaps you meant happy Accord Euro owner?)

A replacement Accord Euro was confirmed by Honda President Takanobu Ito in January 2013 at the Detroit Motor Show. He said it was in the R&D pipeline but gave no hint as to timing. This was a strategic announcement aimed to counter buyers rushing from Honda to the new Mazda6 (to the limited extent this was possible). At the time there was speculation that there would be no new Accord Euro, and that the Accord range - Euro and fat-US Accord would be consolidated into the one vehicle to economise on R&D.

(The first Accord Euro was released in 2003, the next in 2008 - the fact that the next generation one is due at some unspecified date beyond 2013 is further proof that Honda is still struggling, while Mazda is smashing it.)

Me? If I were you I would drive a Mazda6 or Hyundai i40 diesel and make my own assessment as to quality. (Without hesitation I would buy either of these vehicles before a Honda Accord Euro - present or next-gen. Both of these companies are at the absolute tops of their games.)

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